போறேன்
“போறேன்” (pōṟēṉ) — to go in Tamil. Verb, level A1, topic — verbs. The course gives the first-person form, 'I go': Tamil has no dictionary form at all, the stem stands in the lexicon. The ending -ēṉ is the 'I'. On foot or by bus — the verb is one. In a live sentence: “நான் வீட்டுக்கு போறேன்” — I am going home. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters ப, ோ, ற, ே, ன, ்.
In short
| Written in Tamil | போறேன் |
| Read in Latin letters | pōṟēṉ |
| Translation | to go |
| Part of speech | verb |
| Level | A1 |
- போறேன்pōṟēṉto go
Why it looks that way
The course gives the first-person form, 'I go': Tamil has no dictionary form at all, the stem stands in the lexicon. The ending -ēṉ is the 'I'. On foot or by bus — the verb is one
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- நான் வீட்டுக்கு போறேன்nāṉ vīṭṭukku pōṟēṉI am going home
Nearby words: verbs
I want, I can, I am going, I know. Twenty verbs cover more everyday sentences than two hundred nouns.
- வேணும்vēṇumwant; needBuilt like 'to me ... is wanted': eṉakku ṭī vēṇum, 'I need tea'. The wanting one stands in the dative
- சாப்பிடறேன்sāppiḍaṟēṉto eatFirst person, 'I eat'; the lexicon stem is sāppiṭu-. Nothing to do with 'there is, to have': existence is a different verb
- குடிக்கிறேன்kuḍikkiṟēṉto drinkFirst person, 'I drink'. The same verb smokes: 'I drink a cigarette', literally
- பேசுறேன்pēsuṟēṉto speakFirst person, 'I speak'. On the island the livelier verb is 'to chat', but this one is understood everywhere
- இருக்கேன்irukkēṉto beFirst person, 'I am'. Also 'I am located' and 'I live': 'I am in Jaffna' is how one says 'I live in Jaffna'
- கத்துக்கிறேன்kattukkiṟēṉto studyFirst person, 'I learn, I study'. One word for both 'to study something' and 'to be a student'. Teaching someone is a different verb — literally 'to give learning'
- தேர்ந்தெடுக்கிறேன்tērndeḍukkiṟēṉto chooseThe verb is given in the 'I do' form — here 'I choose'. In the shop people say it simpler: 'I will look and take'
- படிக்கிறேன்paḍikkiṟēṉto be a studentIt also means 'I read': the root serves both studying and reading. The verb you know is about mastering a skill
- ஞாபகம் வைக்கிறேன்ñābagam vaikkiṟēṉto memorizeLiterally 'I place into memory': 'memory' is the first word. 'I forgot' is another verb
- பாக்கிறேன்pākkiṟēṉto seepaak-ki-ren; the ṟ is a rolled r, crisper than the soft r of maram
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “verbs”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “to go” in Tamil?
The course gives the first-person form, 'I go': Tamil has no dictionary form at all, the stem stands in the lexicon. The ending -ēṉ is the 'I'. On foot or by bus — the verb is one
- How do you say “to choose” in Tamil?
The verb is given in the 'I do' form — here 'I choose'. In the shop people say it simpler: 'I will look and take'
- How do you say “to drink” in Tamil?
First person, 'I drink'. The same verb smokes: 'I drink a cigarette', literally
- How do you say “to see” in Tamil?
The spoken form of the bookish verb. It also means 'to look': there is no separate word, and 'I am watching a film' is 'I see a picture'. The negation is 'I don't see'
- How do you say “to study” in Tamil?
First person, 'I learn, I study'. One word for both 'to study something' and 'to be a student'. Teaching someone is a different verb — literally 'to give learning'
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “to go” in Tamil?
«போறேன்», read “pōṟēṉ”. In a live sentence: “நான் வீட்டுக்கு போறேன்” — I am going home. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Verb, level A1, from the set “verbs”; written with the characters ப, ோ, ற, ே, ன, ்.
How is “போறேன்” written in Latin letters?
pōṟēṉ. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
The course gives the first-person form, 'I go': Tamil has no dictionary form at all, the stem stands in the lexicon. The ending -ēṉ is the 'I'. On foot or by bus — the verb is one. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
Can I hear how it sounds?
Yes, right on this page: click the word and it will play. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.